This Black Bean and Ham Soup is super simple, comes together quickly, and is full of flavor. It’s a perfect use for leftover ham. It’s also great the next day!
Want even more ways to use that leftover ham? Try this Mac and Cheese with Ham or Cauliflower Soup with Ham and Cheese.
Once the weather starts to cool down, you can never have too many soup recipes. Especially when it’s a hearty bean soup.
One of my favorite soups is my Ham and Bean Soup. This soup is similar, but totally different. Similar in that they both have ham and beans, but this soup takes black beans and gives the soup a Mexican-ish twist.
This soup packs a punch of flavor in well under an hour. Serve it up with some Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits for a delicious, warming dinner.
Ingredients
- Oil: I use olive oil to sauté the vegetables, but you can swap in another favorite oil, if desired.
- Vegetables: I use a combination of onion, bell peppers, jalapeño, and garlic. I like to use 2 different colored peppers, but you can use all of one. For the jalapeño, you can remove the seeds and ribs for less heat.
- Ham: I originally made this recipe as a way to use up leftover holiday ham. But I love it so much now that I will often buy a ham steak at the grocery store and dice it up.
- Beans: You will need 2 cans of black beans. You could also cook your beans from scratch.
- Broth: I’m using chicken broth because I think it has better flavor. But you can always use beef broth or vegetable broth.
- Spices: You will need cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. This would also be great with a bit of paprika (smoked paprika is my favorite!), oregano, or cayenne pepper for some extra heat.
- Toppings: This is where you can get creative! I like some shredded Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, avocado, and pico de gallo.
How to Make Black Bean and Ham Soup
STEP 1: Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot, then add in the onion, both bell peppers, and the jalapeño. Once they have softened up, stir in the garlic.
STEP 2: Add the ham to the pot. Cook this, stirring, until the ham starts to get brown on the edges.
STEP 3: Stir one can of the beans into the soup pot.
STEP 4: Take the other can of beans and combine it with the broth and blend in a blender until smooth. Add this to the pot, along with the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Let this all simmer together for about 20 minutes. Then serve topped with your favorite toppings.
Tips and Tricks
- You can make this vegetarian by leaving out the ham and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. It will still be very tasty!
- I actually really love the leftovers of this soup. Store any soup in a container in the refrigerator, then reheat on the stove or in a microwave.
- You can make this even more veggie packed if you want to add more vegetables. You can add in carrots, celery, or any other vegetables you have on hand.
- I like to puree part of the beans to thicken it up a bit, but if you like a thinner soup, you can skip this part. You could also use an immersion blender and pulse a few times, making sure not to blend everything together.
More Soup Recipes
Homemade Bean and Bacon Soup
Hamburger Soup
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
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Black Bean and Ham Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 orange bell pepper diced
- 1 jalapeno diced
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced
- 10 oz cooked diced ham
- 2 (15 oz each) cans black beans drained and rinsed, divided
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Desired toppings – shredded Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro, pico de Gallo, avocado, sour cream, etc.
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Once hot, add the onion, bell peppers, and jalapeño. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.1 medium onion, 1 red bell pepper, 1 orange bell pepper, 1 jalapeno, 2-3 garlic cloves
- Add the ham and cook, stirring so that the vegetables don’t burn, until the ham is heated through and starting to brown, another 2 minutes.10 oz cooked
- Stir in once can of the beans.2 (15 oz each) cans black beans
- Place the remaining can of beans along with the chicken broth in a blender and puree until smooth. Add to the soup pot.2 cups chicken broth
- Season the soup with the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Serve topped with your desired toppings.Desired toppings – shredded Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro, pico de Gallo, avocado, sour cream, etc.
Tracy Melville says
made with leftover glazed spiral ham from Mother’s Day. I substituted green onions for the thyme. My son (who loves Mexican food) said it was fantastic!